Bargaining Chip
by PeggsterLover
Summary: A killer escapes from lockup & kidnaps Charlie. He plans on using him as a bargaining chip for his freedom. What will Dani, Tidwell and Bobby do to get him back? Will they get him back at all? Full summary inside. Set Post-One, Please R&R NEXT CHAPTER UP!
1. Prologue

_Summary: A killer escapes from lockup and kidnaps Charlie. He plans on using him as a bargaining chip for his freedom. What will Dani, Tidwell and Bobby do to get him back? Will they get him back at all? And will it cause Dani to finally admit her feelings for her unconventional partner? Slight Creese _

_Disclaimer: Don't forget everyone, I own nothing! All characters (except for the few I made up) belong to 'Life' and its creators. But man, if I did own Charlie Crews… I'd be one happy bunny ;) _

The doorbell rang. Ted made his way down the stairs and to the front door. Charlie hadn't got home from work yet, so it was his job. As he was half way down the gigantic staircase, it rang again.

"I'm coming!" he yelled as he quickened his pace to a small jog. He turned the handle and opened the door to a teenage boy with a small parcel.

"Got a package for a Mr Early?"

"Yeah, s'me." The boy handed Ted a clipboard.

"Sign here please." Ted did as he was told and took the parcel before closing the door and heading into the kitchen. He placed the parcel on the table and read the labels. Sure enough, the one on the front was addressed to him, but it was the one on the back that perked his interest. He grinned when he saw that the name on the return address was Olivia's.

He ripped open the packaging and inside was a small box and a note. He picked up the little piece of pink paper and read the neat, flowing handwriting.

'_Ted,_

_A little present to remind you of me. _

_Until our next meeting – which I look forward to so much,_

_Olivia x'_

Ted looked at the box. It was a small MP3 Player. Stuck to it, was another note.

'_I put on some songs I thought you might like. Enjoy!'_

He couldn't stop grinning.

_Ok, guys, seeing as this is my first Life fanfic, I hope you guys like it! Remember, reviews make me warm and fuzzy inside, its like chocolate for my muse, so if you want more, you know what to do XD _


	2. Taken

Charlie and Dani stood up from their desks and grabbed their jackets.

"Alrighty then, I'll see ya tomorrow." Dani gave Charlie a small salute as they exited the elevator and headed to their separate cars. Charlie climbed into his and turned the engine. He pulled out of the car park, his Zen cassette playing over the stereo. This case was pretty much sorted. Caught the guy who had means, motive, opportunity and fingerprints on the murder weapon. After a short time driving, he pulled up outside his house. Ted was cooking.

"Hey Ted." Charlie dumped his jacket on the seat and grabbed a drink from the fridge.

"Hey." Ted replied with a smile.

Charlie looked at his friend as a small smirk came to his own face. "What with that?"

Ted stared at him, his finger in his mouth from tasting the pasta sauce he was joyfully cooking. "What's with what?"

"That overtly obvious and large smile that's sitting on your face." Charlie took a swig from his glass. "Something has to have happened for you to be THAT happy."

Ted wiped his hand on his apron before pulling the small MP3 Player from his pocket.

"What's that?" Charlie asked.

"It's a MP3 Player." Ted replied. "It's a gift."

"Really?" Charlie smirked again, this time only bigger. "From who?"

"From Olivia."

"Oh." Charlie's smile faded slightly.

"What?"

"Nothing, nothing!" Charlie stood up straight. "I'm happy. You're happy, so I'm happy."

Ted glared at Charlie before getting back to cooking.

The pair ate their pasta and when they were finished, Ted stood up.

"I'll be in my room if you need me."

"Sure, thanks for dinner." Charlie collected the dishes as Ted walked away. He took the dishes through to the kitchen and placed them in the sink. He was halfway through washing them when his cell rang. He quickly dried his hands and grabbed it from his jacket. Reese's number showed on the screen. He put the phone to his ear.

"Hey Reese."

"_Crews, bad news."_

"Uh oh, what?"

"_It's Dreison."_

"I don't think I like what you're gonna say next."

"_Yeah, he escaped lockup."_

"How the hell'd he do that?"

"_I dunno, but I'm heading down the station now to check it out, meet you there?"_

"Sure. See you in ten." Charlie hung up the phone and sighed. Why? Just when he thinks he'll get a decent sleep, he gets dragged back to work.

He grabbed a piece of paper and pen from the kitchen drawer and leaned down to leave Ted a note.

Suddenly, before he could react, he was grabbed from behind. A hand clamped over his mouth and another around his chest in an attempt to pin his arms down. He struggled and managed to knock the hand away from his mouth.

"Ted!" he yelled, whilst struggling against the strong, iron-like grip. "Ted!"

"He will not hear you, Detective Crews." A familiar voice said in a calm voice. He looked to his left. Walking up to him and his captor was Dreison. "We made sure of that."

"What did you do to him?" Charlie continued to struggle as he worried for his friend.

"Oh, don't worry, he is fine. We haven't done anything to him. Just sent him a nice gift to keep him occupied."

In his room, Ted sat on his bed obliviously reading a book and listening to the music 'Olivia' had sent him.

Charlie took the sudden silence to elbow his attacker in the stomach, loosening the grip on him. He spun round and reached for his gun, but realised it had fallen from his holster in the struggle. He quickly lunged for it, but his face was met with a fist. He stumbled backwards and fell, hitting his forehead on the kitchen surface. Feeling the skin split and his forehead become wet with blood, he became disoriented. As he steadied himself, he felt a hand grab his hair and pull his head back. A cloth was forced over his nose and mouth and Charlie knew this was not good. He knew it was pointless to struggle anymore – he would need the energy later. He decided to just give in to the chemicals that were filling his lungs and the overwhelming urge to sleep.

He closed his eyes and let unconsciousness take him.

His last thought before he passed out was one word.

One name.

_Dani…_

_Hope this was good =) _


	3. Not Right

_Thanks to both silversurf4 and katta for your reviews =) So glad you're liking it so far! Here's the next instalment – hope its up to scratch!_

_Much love xo_

Dani checked the time on the office clock. It had been half an hour since she spoke to Charlie. She knew he wasn't the most punctual of people, but something in the back of her mind worried her. She pulled out her cell and called her partner. Something wasn't right. Adding evidence to her worries, the call rang out to voicemail.

Ted continued to listen to the music on the MP3 Player Olivia had sent him when he began to feel thirsty. He pulled the headphones out of his ears and headed out to the kitchen. As he walked through the house, something was off. It was quiet. Too quiet. Charlie may not have been the noisiest guy around, but there was always something going on in his world. Ted wandered to the kitchen and saw a piece of paper on the counter. It was Charlie's handwriting.

"_Ted, _

_Got called back into work. Shouldn't be t…"_

Halfway through the letter, his writing trailed off. He followed the line of ink to the edge of the counter and saw the pen lying on the floor, along with Charlie's suit jacket. He bent down to pick them up, when he saw a glass smashed on the floor around the corner from the other items. Being practically kneeling, he almost crawled to the glass and reached to pick it up. He paused, however, when his face came eye to eye with something that made his stomach turn. On the corner of the kitchen counter was some blood. Not a lot, but enough to tell Ted that something was not right. Not at all. Charlie's belongings were strewn across the floor, there was blood on the counter and most troubling of all, Charlie was missing. He grabbed the house phone and dialled the number he knew would take him to someone he needed.

Dani's cell rang in her hand. It was Charlie's house number. She quickly answered.

"Crews, where the hell are you?"

"_Dani?"_ it was not Charlie's voice. And the voice did not sound happy.

"Ted? What is it?"

"_I think you should get down here. Right now. It's about Charlie." _

Dani immediately hung up and raced out of Tidwell's office.

"Dani what's wrong." Tidwell and Bobby followed her out of the office and to the elevators.

Ted hung up the phone and looked back at the items on the floor. He then looked up, seeing a note pinned to the fridge. He walked up to it, being careful not to touch it, and read it.

"_Detectives, _

_By the time you read this, you should know that we have something valuable to you in our possession. Namely, Charlie Crews. You should know what this means. You should know what we want. You should also know that should you not deliver, Charlie ends up dead. _

_We shall speak soon,_

_R.D"_

Just when he thought his stomach couldn't handle anymore sickness…

_Well, lemme know huh? _

_Xo _


	4. Bring Him Home

_Here's the next chappy, as I'm in a chappy-happy mood tonight =)_

_Enjoy_

_Xo _

Dani, Tidwell and Bobby drove so fast to Charlie's house, they didn't even realise they had been driving. The car screeched to a halt and Dani was out of the car before it had even stopped. She ran up the stairs to the door, and banged on the glass. As far as she was concerned, even though Ted ran to answer the door, he didn't let her in quick enough.

"I didn't know what to do. I came out of my room and found it like this." Ted watched Dani make her way to the kitchen as Tidwell and Bobby entered the house.

Dani stepped up to the crime scene. She hated that. Crime scene. Sure, the place of an incident was a crime scene, but that was a general thing. This was personal. This was her friend in trouble. It was like back when Charlie had been shot. The initial horror when her and Charles Crews Sr had heard the gunshot and seen Charlie collapse unconscious – much like the horror when Ted had called her earlier.

Then the sickening feeling of having to process it as any other crime. She hated it. She acted as if she hadn't cared much when Charlie had asked, but in reality, she did care. A lot. Sure she had been with Tidwell, but deep down, she knew…

Dani's thoughts were interrupted by the three men coming up behind her.

"My God, Ted, what happened?" Bobby asked.

"I… I dunno, I mean, I was in my room listening to some music sent by a friend. I didn't hear anything."

"I think that was the point." Everyone looked at Tidwell , who was now standing by the fridge, holding the note in his gloved hand.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Bobby asked.

"Ted, you said that the music was sent by a friend? What friend would that be?"

"Uh, this girl I know. Olivia. She's away at the moment."

"Does she send you stuff often?"

Ted thought. "No, come to think about it."

"What are you thinking, captain?" Bobby approached Tidwell.

"The note here implies that what they have done – kidnapped Charlie – has been planned. It wasn't a spontaneous idea. Which means that he planned the escape from lockup. I think that it wasn't the lovely Olivia who sent you that music. Look, Charlie is a tough guy. We all know that. He took down Roman Nevikov with one blow to the neck. He wouldn't have gone quietly."

"So you're saying that Dreison wasn't alone when he came here?" Ted asked.

"Yeah, that's exactly what I'm saying."

"You think that Dreison had help on the outside to get him out of lockup. Someone who sent Ted the music so that he wouldn't hear anything and then helped snatch Charlie right out from under his nose." Bobby understood now.

Tidwell nodded. "The note says 'You should know what this means. You should know what we want.' The 'we' definitely indicates that they're working as a team. Dreison must be the leader, as he signed the letter. RD stands for Randolph Dreison."

"'You know what we want.' I'm guessing that means they want their charges dropped, they want freedom. And if we don't let them have it…" Bobby didn't want to finish that sentence.

More uniforms began to enter the house and as they did, Tidwell saw Dani standing alone by the staircase. He approached her so as not to startle her.

"Dani? You ok? You haven't said anything since we got here."

She shook herself when he spoke to her. "What? Oh, yeah. I'm… I'm fine…" she was distracted by the notes and other items from the kitchen being bagged as evidence.

"We're gonna get him back, Dani." Tidwell put his hand on her shoulder and was surprised when she leaned into him. Dani didn't tend to show emotions, but this was different. He put his arm around her and comforted her. This wasn't just her partner that was in trouble, it was her friend. Charlie was a friend to all of them, but Dani and Charlie were closer than ever. Tidwell had even suspected their feelings to be more than innocent – they just hadn't admitted it yet. He didn't blame them. They had been partners for about 2 years and even though at first they had not got along, the pair had grown closer.

Tidwell wasn't sure when exactly her feelings had changed, but he had a theory that it was after the Roman incident. When Charlie had gone so far in order to save her from the Russian psycho, even letting Roman take him as his hostage to let Dani go, it proved to them all how much Crews cared for her. It became clear to them, her especially, that Charlie was willing to go to the ends of the earth for his partner, and it would take more than a Russian mobster to stop him.

Soon after that incident, Tidwell had accepted that Dani's heart belonged to Charlie. He loved her, but that meant that he wanted her to be happy. She especially deserved to be happy after what she had been through. So he had willingly let her go – letting her know that he was happy for her and Charlie to be together. She had been so grateful, however, due to recent cases and such, neither of the young detectives had been had the chance to make a step forward in their relationship. And now, just when they might have been able to take that step, Charlie had been snatched away from her.

So many times, Dani had passed the opportunity to make the move towards a future with Charlie, so many times she had hoped to say something, but things always got in the way. Now she realised that an opportunity like that may never come again. And that thought crushed her.

Tidwell knew the sort of thoughts that were going through Dani's mind. That made him all the more determined to get Charlie back safe and sound.

"Don't worry, Dani. I promise you, I will bring him home."

_I know that Dani and Tidwell were together in the series, but A) to be honest, I never really liked them as a couple; I'm a Creese fan all the way! And B) the way the series ended, it left it open to interpretation that Charlie and Dani had fallen for each other. So this is me, interpreting it that way =) _

_Hope you liked! _

_Xo _


	5. NonStop

_Thanks again for the wonderful reviews – they make me grin like an idiot! Hope this chapter is up to expectations =)_

_Xo _

Charlie began to stir from what he could describe as the best sleep he had had in weeks. However the pounding of his head soon crept back and he decided that it wasn't the best way to describe it.

Charlie has experienced being knocked unconscious before, so it wasn't new to him. Like in one of the earliest cases he and Reese worked together, when he was attacked by a suspect and she had to electrocute them both to save him. Or when he was attacked and 'kidnapped' by Mickey Raybourne's bodyguard. Or even the time the he was shot.

But this felt different. The time with Dani, he had woken up on the poolside with her standing over him saying his name to coax him out of unconsciousness. He remembered seeing her standing there with the sun behind her – to him she looked like an angel. The next time, with Raybourne, he had woken up lying on a sunbed next to a swimming pool overlooking LA. And when he was shot, he had woken up once again to Dani, sitting next to him – he could have sworn he had felt her holding his hand while he was unconscious.

This time, he began to wake up and every part of his body ached. He was sitting in a chair – an uncomfortable one at that – with each wrist tied to one of the wooden arms. His sleeves had been rolled up to the elbow and he could feel the splinters in his forearms. His ankles were then tied to the two front legs of the uncomfortable – did he mention that it was uncomfortable – chair. His shoes and socks had been removed, along with his tie, dress shirt and suit pants. He was left in his white t-shirt and boxers. This was a time where he felt relieved that he was a boxers guy and didn't choose to wear briefs.

He felt the dried blood sitting on his forehead from the cut he had received during the struggle. He also tasted something in his mouth. A rough piece of cloth had been shoved in it and tied in a very tight knot at the back of his head. The material tasted foul and it made him want to vomit. He decided to open his eyes and get a look at his surroundings – for a split second he thought he might be able to plan an escape, but he reminded himself of his current predicament and also who it was that was holding him, which made him give up on that idea. He opened his eyes to pure darkness. He began to move his head to see if there was a light anywhere, but there was nothing. He blinked a few times, at the back of his mind sat worry that he was blinded, however, he soon realised that he could feel something resting on his shoulders, sitting in a circle around his neck and deducted that it was simply a bag.

He relaxed slightly and decided to see what he could hear. In the distance he heard two male voices. They were talking, but to Charlie it sounded like a rather heated discussion. Both voices sounded familiar. He knew that one was Dreison – he had seen him at his house. However, the second man – the man who had attacked him – he hadn't seen his face, but now he could hear his voice, it sounded extremely familiar. He couldn't place it, but he knew that man's voice. He heard footsteps getting closer. His heartbeat began to race ten times faster.

"Ah, it seems our guest is awake." Dreison's voice said. Suddenly the bag was yanked off his head and the semi-bright light attacked his eyes. "We thought you were going to sleep through all the fun stuff."

Charlie blinked a few times, his eyes getting used to the sudden invasion on his eyes. After a few moments, he looked up at Dreison. The man was smiling evilly at him. His almost black eyes stared down at him and made Charlie feel even more uncomfortable. His face was cold, his features harsh and his rugged appearance would make even the toughest man feel nervous. While Charlie had some muscles on his body, this man was so heavily built that Charlie felt he could break him with a single touch.

He then looked across to Dreison's accomplice, who was holding his gun, and was taken completely by surprise.

"You…"

Dani and Tidwell had returned to the office to continue looking around at how Dreison could have escaped. He had taken her back with him mainly because he could see how being in Charlie's house – the place of his abduction – made her feel uncomfortable. They needed to look around in case Dreison's accomplice had left some sort of DNA, not that they had time to run those sorts of tests. But they had to do something to figure out who helped him. They were waiting on access to the surveillance footage.

One of the officers had spent the last ten minutes looking around when he approached the pair with a horrified expression on his face.

"What is it Lucas?" Tidwell and Dani stood up straight at his approach.

"Sir, there is no sign of force on the door or window. Nothing indicates that he broke out of there unnaturally."

"So what are you saying?" Dani asked.

"It appears that someone unlocked the door for him." Lucas looked between the detective and the equally shocked captain.

"But only the officers and detectives have keys to those doors." Dani said, after a brief moment of silence. "So that means… no." she couldn't believe it. "Dreison's accomplice is one of us?"

Tidwell stormed across to the tech experts. "I need that surveillance footage now." he almost yelled. "If one of ours is crooked, we need to find them ASAP. I want everyone working non stop for as long as it takes. We do not stop until these guys are found and Charlie is safe."

_Well, let me know what ya think! I hope you liked! _

_Much love_

_Ciao _

_Xo _


	6. It's called survival

_Alright, here's the next chapter. I'm so glad you guys are enjoying it. I hope the identity of the second kidnapper (and his motives) goes down well with you all… fingers crossed I guess!_

_Xo _

Ten minutes later, the tech guys shouted Tidwell and Dani over. They had found the surveillance tape of when Dreison escaped. They played it and watched as a man – probably in his 50's – sneaked across to the door of Dreison's cell, keys in hand, and opened the door for the killer before leaving the lockup. Dani knew what happened next.

"Hold on!" Tidwell tapped the young techie, Jamie, on the shoulder. "Go back a few frames. There!" at one point, the accomplice had turned so that the camera could see his face. "Can you zoom on that?"

"Sure can, sir." Jamie pushed some buttons and the screen zoomed in on the mans face. The pixels cleared and it was easier to see.

"Oh my God." Dani began. "It can't be."

"What is it Dani?" Tidwell asked, turning to her. "You know him?"

"Yeah…" Dani could barely speak. "I do…"

Charlie looked up in shock at his second captor. He couldn't believe his eyes.

_It can't be…_ he thought to himself.

"Well, hello Charlie." He walked over to the captive detective and removed the gag.

"You?" Charlie didn't know what to say. "But you're dead! Roman Nevikov killed you!"

Jack Reese laughed at Charlie's words.

"That's what he thought." Jack towered over the distressed younger man. "He left me for dead, but he didn't seem to make sure." He scoffed.

"What about Dani?" Charlie asked. "You let your own daughter believe that you were dead?"

Jack sighed "Dani and I… well let's just say our relationship wasn't too great before the incident with Roman. I thought it better to leave her thinking I was dead." He gave another scoff. "The girl was probably relieved to hear I was gone!"

Charlie couldn't stop glaring at Jack. "I wanna know why."

"Why what?" Jack asked. "Why I'm working with Randolph? Why I helped him escape? Why I helped kidnap you?"

"Yeah."

"It's called survival." Jack held Charlie's gun, playing with it and taunting the detective. "Dreison and I go back years. While I was still on the force. Before the bastard turned into a murderer." Jack and Dreison shared evil smirks. "He saved my ass several times back then. Now, I guess you could say, I'm returning the favour."

"By helping a killer?" Charlie's response was met with a glare and a blow to the face from Dreison. He spat blood from his mouth and looked back up at Jack. "But now your cover is blown. Dreison is going back to prison, especially he's now got abducting an LAPD detective up his sleeve, and everyone's gonna know you're still alive."

"Not if we get our way. You're his insurance policy. I'll be outta here before your buddies from the office get here and Dreison here is gonna make a trade." Jack crouched down next to Charlie. "You for his freedom."

"But I know you're alive now. You think I'm not gonna come after you?" Charlie spat at Dani's father.

"Now, you see, that's the thing." Jack tapped Charlie on the shoulder with his gun. "You won't tell anyone. Because if you utter as much as a sigh, I'll find out. And your friends. The people you love most. They'll be gone like that." He clicked his fingers in front of Charlie's face, causing him to jump slightly. He stood back up.

"You'd do that?" Charlie yelled as Jack began to walk away. "You'd threaten the life of your own daughter?"

Jack spun around back to Charlie. "Like I said, Charlie, it's called survival." He continued to walk away from the detective.

"You disgusting bastard!" Charlie yelled at him. "I won't let you lay a finger on Dani! I swear to God…" his distressed screams were cut short by Dreison shoving the gag back in his mouth and giving him another swift blow to the temple with the butt of his gun. Charlie immediately fell into oblivion as Dreison exited the room. As Charlie sat there, in a less-than-blissful state of unconsciousness, a single tear fell from his closed eyes.

_Well there it was. Jack Reese. I hope it made sense – even more, I hope you don't hate me for it! _

_Please review and let me know!_

_Much love _

_Xo _


	7. Nothing's peaceful

_Another double whammy coming your way, I'm on a bit of a roll tonight as I have nothing better to do =_)

_Enjoy! _

_Xo _

"Your father?" Tidwell couldn't believe that Jack Reese was still alive, let alone had turned rogue and kidnapped Charlie. "Your father?"

"Yes." Dani was having a hard time believing it herself; she didn't need Tidwell yelling like this.

"I thought you said he was dead!"

"As far as I was concerned, he was." Dani sat on the desk in Tidwell's office while he paced around the room trying to make sense of it. "At least that's what Roman told me. He seemed pretty damn sure." Dani didn't know what to make of the whole situation. Her father, who she had been told was murdered, was in fact alive, helping a convicted murderer and had now kidnapped the man she loved. Her brain was a mess. She didn't exactly know what her father was capable of, but she had a pretty good idea, and it wasn't great. "How the hell did he get the keys anyway? He isn't exactly a cop anymore."

"I don't know." Tidwell answered. "But if he was able to disappear off the face of the earth and snatch Charlie from right under our noses, I'm pretty sure he's capable of just about anything, including stealing those keys."

There was a knock on the door.

"Yeah?" Tidwell looked up. Lucas walked in, holding an envelope.

"Sir, uh, this just turned up. It's addressed to you both." He held it out and Tidwell took it carefully. It was a little heavy. He placed it gently on his desk.

"You think it's from them?" Dani asked approaching him.

"Well, we can only guess it is. They mentioned in the note that they wanted something in return for Charlie's safety. Maybe this is them contacting us."

"You don't think it's…" Dani began. Tidwell could sense the worry in her voice.

"I doubt it. If Dreison wants his freedom secured, he needs us. Alive. I don't think they're going to try anything." He placed on some gloves and slowly began to open the box, being careful just in case. When the flap was unsealed, he tipped it slightly so the contents fell out. The first thing to fall out was a note. In big writing it stated:

"**THIS IS SO YOU KNOW THAT WE ARE SERIOUS. **

**WE SHALL CONTACT YOU WITH FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS**

**WITHIN THE NEXT FEW HOURS. BE AWAITING OUR CONTACT, OR YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENS."**

The next item fell out and made a _clunk _on the desk as it did. It was Charlie's LAPD badge. The final item to exit the envelope was a folded piece of paper. When Tidwell flattened it out, Dani's hand flew to her mouth. It was a photograph.

The scene was quite dark, so it was hard to see the surroundings, but they could see the subject of the picture very clearly. Sitting on a chair in the centre of the photograph, bound, gagged and unconscious, was Charlie. He wore only his boxers and white t-shirt and he was beaten.

Dani felt sick. She ran out of the room and Tidwell could only watch as she made her way to the stairs. He knew where she was going.

He stepped out onto the roof and saw Dani standing across, near the edge, staring out at the city. He walked across to her.

"Dani?" he said, putting a hand on her shoulder. She didn't look at him.

"Charlie comes up here all the time." She said, her voice monotone. "He says it is calming. Relaxing. Peaceful." She looked down to the floor. "It doesn't seem to be like that now. Nothing seems to be peaceful right about now."

She looked up at him and he saw the tears forming in her eyes. He put his arms around her and for the first time since they had ended their relationship, she sank into his embrace. He rubbed her back with his hands in a soothing way and felt her body shaking as she began to cry.

_There you go, hope the latest chapters were good!_

_Much love_

_Xo _


	8. I will find him

_Sorry for the short delay in posting, I just went back to uni, so I had a LOT to sort out! But here is the next chapter, I hope it is up to standards =_)

_xo _

Charlie began to stir again. His head was hurting even more now – he remembered Dreison hitting him just before the lights went out. He opened his eyes and looked around. Through the small window in the corner of the room, he saw that the sun had risen. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a flash. He spun his head round; a move he soon regretted when the room began to spin. Once his head stopped throbbing and the room stilled, he saw Dreison standing near him with a camera. He was actually taking photos?

There was another flash as he took another one.

_What the hell? _Charlie thought to himself. He would have said it out loud, had the gag not been preventing speech. If Dani were there she probably would have made some comment about it being the longest he was quiet for. But unfortunately, she wasn't there. He would take any and all insulting comments she could throw if it meant she were there. But she wasn't. And he hated that. Instead, he was stuck with her psychotic father and his murderous friend. Great. And now, said friend was taking photographs of him. Could this get any better?

As if he had read Crews' thoughts, Dreison spoke up. "Don't worry, these pictures aren't for our benefit." He stood up and approached Charlie. "They're for your partner."

Charlie glared at Dreison once again.

"We made a deal, Detective Crews. If they give me what I want, you will be back with them before you know it. This is our way of proving that you are unfortunately still alive. Although there is nothing right now that would give me more satisfaction than killing a cop…" he trailed off and began to walk away. As he did he finished his sentence. "I have a bargain to uphold. And I never break my end of a deal." He exited the room, camera in hand.

Charlie sighed. Even though it wasn't like him to this that way, he was convinced not even his Zen could help him right now.

Dani and Tidwell were sitting in his office. Dani sat on a chair, her knees pulled up to her chest with a cup of coffee in her hands. Tidwell was pacing in front of his window. He was frustrated. Why hadn't Dreison and Jack contacted them yet? He just wanted to get Charlie back – for Dani's sake. Although he had willingly let her go, he still loved her and that meant it pained him to see her in this state. He felt the need to protect her and seeing her so vulnerable, he felt like he was letting her down. He would storm into wherever they were holding Crews and get him back himself if he could. But Dreison hadn't sent them where the meet was yet. He was going crazy. If not for Dani's sake, for the basic fact that Crews was one of _his _cops, one of his best if he put it that way.

He looked over at Dani who glanced at him; her eyes were red from tears with small dark circles forming under them from the lack of sleep she was suffering from. At that moment, part of their prayers were answered when Bobby came barging through the door. Had it been under any different circumstances, Tidwell would have been quite frustrated that he hadn't knocked, but he knew that he would have news. And he was right. In Bobby's hands was another envelope.

"Captain…" Bobby began, but Tidwell ignored him and snatched the envelope from him. Dani was on her feet at the desk next to Bobby, leaning over to see. Tidwell ripped open the flap and once again gently tipped out the contents. More photographs fell out. This time, there were a few. Three to be precise. One was similar to the last, Charlie sitting unconscious in that chair. The second, he was awake and looking away from the camera. And the third, he was looking directly at the camera. Looking directly at Dani. She saw the pain in his eyes. It made her sick seeing him like that, though part of her felt relief that he was alive.

Along with the photos came a note. Tidwell read the note. "At exactly midday, you shall come to the address stated below with your word and proof that I shall be safe. Upon my escape, you shall get Detective Crews back. If anyone screws on this deal, Crews will be dead before you know it. Even if it is in a week, a month, a year… I will find him and provide him with a slow, torturous death. I hope I am clear."

Below, as Dreison had stated, was the address of a warehouse on the outskirts of the city. Tidwell looked at Bobby, who nodded and they began to get ready.

"Dani, I want you to stay here." Tidwell stopped Dani as she was also getting ready. She looked at him as if he had just slapped her.

"What? No way. Not a chance."

"Dani, listen to me. That is Charlie and your father in there. I don't' want to be the barer of bad news, but it could end badly for either of them. I don't want you to be there if it does."

"Well, I appreciate the thought, but I know nothing is going to happen to Charlie. I know it. I'm coming with."

Tidwell put his hand on her shoulder. "But what about your father?"

Dani looked at him, her eyes cold and emotionless. "If he's lucky, he'll get away with a major injury." She stormed out of the office.

Tidwell didn't like the sound of that, but he knew Dani and he knew how stubborn she could be. He glanced at Bobby before the pair followed her. They had work to do.

_Well like I said, I hope it was good. Hope you enjoyed it =_)

_Remember those reviews XD _

_Much love_

_Xo _


	9. 11:57am

_So here comes the big confrontation! Hope you like!_

_Xo_

Dreison was watching Charlie. Every time the detective would slip into slumber, he would be delivered with a sharp slap to the face to make sure he was awake. After what seemed like hours for the exhausted cop, the door in the corner of the room opened. Jack Reese entered and approached the two other men. Dreison stood up and turned to Jack.

"It's almost midday, Randolph." Jack said with a smile. "Only a few more minutes and you won't have a care in the world."

Dreison gave an evil smirk back. "We better get him ready for the trade then." Both men approached Charlie. They began to untie him but Dreison paused. "Oh and, uh, don't try anything. Or you will regret it."

Charlie gave a weak smile as the gag was removed from his mouth. "Scouts honour."

Jack and Dreison pulled Charlie to his feet and once he was stable, Dreison roughly yanked his hands behind his back, tying them there so tight that Charlie feared that the circulation would be cut. Once his arms were securely bound, Jack and Dreison led him through the door of the small room and into a bigger one on the other side. They crossed the floor and stopped in the centre, standing opposite the door. Dreison pushed Charlie forward – it took all of his balance just to stay on his feet. That problem, however, was soon sorted when he was shoved again, this time forcing him to his knees. The ground was covered in gravel and dirt which clawed at Charlie's knees as they hit the floor. He winced in pain, but didn't let it show too much.

Dreison crouched down to Charlie's level. "Don't worry yourself, detective. If your friends come through, you'll be home before you know it. I'll be off on my way to all points nowhere and Jack here will be off living the dream." The criminal smiled at Charlie, who looked away. He would be glad to get that face out of his mind. All of a sudden, Charlie's face was sprayed with blood, as a bullet made its way through Dreison's head. Charlie spun around to see Jack standing over Dreison's dead body holding his gun.

"What the…" Charlie began, however he was cut off when the gun was slammed into his face. He felt his cheek split open and his nose began to bleed. With his balance already off due to being on his knees, and the fact that his hands were tied behind his back, Charlie found himself tumbling face first into the ground. He gathered all his current strength – which wasn't much – and rolled himself over onto his back to face Jack, who was now standing over him with his gun pointed in his direction.

_Oh, this can't be good. _Charlie thought as he lay mesmerised by the gun he was staring at.

Tidwell, Bobby and Dani pulled up outside the warehouse and jumped out of the car. They already had their POLICE vests on and were ready for anything. Tidwell checked his watch. 11:57am. Almost time. He turned to Bobby and nodded, before looking towards Dani.

"Dani?" Tidwell couldn't see her anywhere. "Dani! Bobby! Where the hell did she go?"

Bobby was just as clueless as Tidwell. Both men looked around and didn't know what to do.

Dani had climbed out of the car and waited until Tidwell and Bobby had been looking away before sneaking around to the back of the warehouse. She had to save Charlie. Even if it meant getting herself hurt in the process. Charlie had been prepared to give his life for hers when he gave himself to Roman. She felt the need to return the favour. She found an isolated back door and entered it. She could hear distant talking, voices she recognised as Charlie and her fathers. She followed the voices throughout the corridors until she came to an open room. In the centre, she saw Charlie lying on the ground with her father standing over him with a gun pointed at him.

Charlie stared up at Jack's emotionless face.

"So that was what you meant by he wouldn't have a care in the world, huh? Because he'd be dead?"

Jack scoffed.

"Why?" Charlie asked. "What happened to the deal you said you guys had?"

"Please. There's no way I'd make a deal with him." Jack smirked that evil smile again that sent shivers down Charlie's spine. "No deal. Just one less scumbag for the police to worry about. Deep down, I'm still a cop."

"A cop? A cop who kidnaps another cop and threatens his own daughter's life?" Charlie asked. Jack shrugged.

"I wanted to get rid of Dreison efficiently and now, I get to kill you too."

"What?" Charlie asked. "Why?"

"You have been a real pain in my ass, Detective Crews." Jack prepared the gun for his second shot. "But not anymore."

Outside, Tidwell and Bobby were still unsure what to do, when they heard it.

Their stomachs turned.

Both men ran to the warehouse door as fast as they could.

The single gunshot.

_Dun dun DUNNNNN!_

_Hope you like a good cliffhanger – well I hope it's a GOOD one lol_

_Much love!_

_Xo _


	10. The second shot

_Well here it is – the next instalment. Hope you like =_)

_Xo _

Tidwell and Bobby ran across to the door as fast as they could. Literally seconds after the first shot, there was a second.

_God, please let them be ok. _Tidwell thought as they opened the door.

Charlie squeezed his eyes shut at the sound of the gunshot. He didn't know what to think. At first he didn't feel anything. Maybe he hadn't been hit. Maybe Jack had a lousy shot second time round. He was about to open his eyes, when there was a second shot. That's when he felt it. The pain. The pain that brought back not so fond memories. White hot pain coursing through his body.

Jack was ready to shoot. His finger was on the trigger and there was a shot. But he hadn't pulled the trigger yet. He looked down to his chest and saw a red stain growing and growing on his white shirt. The pain was horrendous. He turned slightly to his left and saw her.

Dani.

She was standing, about ten metres away with her gun raised.

"Hello… Daddy." Her words were full of venom as she spat them at him.

That's when he began to fall. It happened so quickly and yet it also seemed in slow motion. As he fell, he pulled the trigger, hoping to finish what he started before he died. As he hit the ground, he glanced up, his vision blurring, and saw Charlie reacting to the bullet hitting him.

He lay on the ground, hearing Dani shouting Charlie's name and he smiled before his eyes closed and his last breath left him.

Dani had pulled the trigger as soon as she could. She saw her father fall. She also, however, saw a second bullet get fired. At Charlie.

_Oh God, no… _she thought as she ran across the room. _Please not again. _

"Charlie!" she screamed his name as she skidded to her knees next to him. She quickly looked to see where he had been hit. She saw the blood getting thicker and thicker on his lower left side. He was grasping at his side and she saw the pain in his face.

He looked up at her and the pain in his eyes made Dani's heart sink. She had seen him get shot once. They were lucky. She wasn't going to risk losing him again. He looked her in the eyes and gave her a weak smile, his way of trying to reassure her that all was going to be ok. Even though they both doubted that. His blue eyes gave her one last look before they closed. He went limp in her arms.

Tidwell and Bobby entered the building so fast, they thought that they would rip the door off. They saw Dani, kneeling in the centre of the room with Charlie lying in her lap. They saw her look up at them, tears in her eyes.

_God no. _Tidwell turned to the open door and looked across at the officers waiting outside for them.

"Get us an ambulance! NOW!"

Dani looked down at the unconscious detective in her arms.

"Charlie, please don't die."


	11. Not 'If' 'When'

_Here's the final proper chapter, there will be an epilogue after this. _

_Enjoy!_

_Xo _

Dani didn't recall the trip to the hospital. She had wanted to go with him so bad, but the paramedics hadn't let her. As they had closed the doors at the back of the ambulance, she had gently placed her hand on the glass, as if trying to make contact with him one last time before he was whisked off to the hospital. When the vehicle began to drive away, she saw that where she had placed her hand, there was a small handprint made of blood. Charlie's blood.

She watched the ambulance drive away before Tidwell approached her.

"Dani? You ok?"

"Not really." She continued to stare at that bloody handprint until the ambulance disappeared around a corner.

"Come on, we'll take you to the hospital." Tidwell put his arm around her to lead her to the car. "Come on."

In the car on the way, Dani had been thinking. The whole time, she was just thinking. Thinking about Charlie, about what she would say to him when he woke up. She didn't want to think of it as 'if' he woke up. He had to. She had to tell him how much he meant to her.

Before she knew it, they were outside the hospital. They climbed out the car as fast as they could and made their way inside. They were told to wait in the hall, as Charlie was having surgery. This waiting only made things ten times worse for Dani. She wanted nothing more than to throw her arms around him there and then and never let go.

She sat in that chair in the hallway and waited. She didn't move. She feared that the moment she did, the doctor would come out with some news. This feeling was all too familiar. She remembered waiting for Charlie to come out of surgery the last time he was shot. She had sat in this hallway for what seemed like days, waiting for him. When he had come out and they had placed him in his room, she had sat by his bedside waiting. She had even held his hand, although at the time she had hoped he didn't know. This time, however, she promised herself to hold his hand the whole time. Even when he woke up.

Tidwell approached her with two plastic cups.

"Hey, here you go." Tidwell offered her one.

"What is it?" Dani looked up at him. They were the first words she had spoken since they had left the warehouse.

Tidwell looked at the cup in his hand. "Well it's either coffee or soup… I'd like to think its coffee."

Dani managed to give a small smile. She took the cup from him. "Thanks."

Tidwell sat down next to her. "Dani, I'm sure he's gonna be fine. He pulled through last time, didn't he?"

Dani looked down at the floor. "We… we got lucky last time. What if we weren't fast enough this time? What if…" she trailed off. A tear landed on the lid of the cup. Tidwell placed his arm around her shoulders.

"Hey, don't think like that ok. I'm sure he's going to be fine."

After what seemed like forever, the doors down the hall opened and a surgeon walked through. He approached the pair, who stood up at his entrance, eager to hear good news.

"Detectives?"

"Yes. Is he gonna be ok?" Tidwell asked.

The doctor looked at them both. "Detective Crews is out of surgery. The operation was successful. Luckily the bullet missed any major organs. It was touch and go for a while due to the amount of blood that he lost, however we managed to stabilise him and he should recover just fine."

Dani and Tidwell felt smiles of relief take over their faces.

"Can we see him?" Dani asked.

"Of course, he is still unconscious, but we have done all we can. Now it's up to him to wake up when he is ready." The doctor led them to the room they had left Charlie in.

"Thanks, doc." Tidwell shook the doctor's hand before the pair entered the room. Sure enough, just as the doctor had said, Charlie was lying in the bed unconscious. Dani hated seeing him like this. His usual tough outer exterior was broken and he looked so vulnerable. She approached him slowly. She looked up at his face. The cuts and bruises that were displayed across his face stood out against the paleness of his skin. She sat down in the chair next to his bed and kept her promise. She grasped her hand in one of hers and lifted the other to his head. She gently stroked his red hair, which was illuminated by the setting sun that was shining through the window.

"Charlie?" she said softly. "Charlie, its Dani. We're here. Me and Tidwell are here. I promise you I'm not going to leave you. Please wake up."

Tidwell watched Dani. He stood leaning against the closed door. After a while, there was a knock on the door. He stood away from it and let Bobby in. When Bobby saw Charlie his face was full of sadness.

"Oh God, Charlie." he looked at Tidwell. "Is he gonna be ok?"

"Yeah, the doctor said the surgery went well."

Bobby sighed with relief. Tidwell approached Dani.

"Dani, we'll give you some time alone with him, ok? We'll be right outside if you need us."

Dani smiled. "Thanks." The two men exited the room, leaving Dani with Charlie. After a few moments of silence, she decided to try talking to him.

"It's funny," she began. "how familiar this all is. God when I saw you lying on that floor with my father holding that gun at you, I just…." She didn't know what to say. "Charlie I'm just so glad you're gonna be ok. When you were shot, I didn't know what to think. I was so worried that I was gonna lose you. I couldn't bare that. I really couldn't. Not when there's so many things I need to…" she trailed off for a second, before figuring out what to say next.

"I guess, what I'm trying to say… Charlie, I love you. I know if you were awake right now, you would probably come out with some crazy ass Zen comment about love or whatever, but I mean it. I honestly do love you…"

There was another silence as Dani looked down and thought of what to say next, however, her thoughts were interrupted.

"I love you too, Dani." A weak voice came from in front of her. She looked up at Charlie, whose eyes fluttered open. His blue eyes looked directly into her own brown ones and he smiled.

Dani smiled back. "You heard all of that then?"

Charlie pondered for a second. "Enough…" he looked to the hand that was holding his own. He then turned his hand around so that he could hold hers too.

_Hope that it wasn't too sloppy =_P

_Much love_

_Xo _


	12. Epilogue

_Ok, here it is. The epilogue. I REALLY hope you like it. I wanted a happy ending, so here it is. _

_Much love _

_Xo _

_One week later_

"Don't try and lift that!"

"I'm fine! Honestly!"

"I mean it, Charlie."

"Fine, mother." Charlie dropped the bag he was carrying onto the floor. It hit the ground with a thud and he looked up at Dani with a sheepish smile. She approached him and grabbed the bag before they made their way from the car to Charlie's front door. Dani held her hand out and Charlie reluctantly placed the house key in it. He had agreed to not doing much so as not to strain himself, but she was taking this to extremes. Dani pushed the door open and the pair entered the large house.

This was the first time either had been in the house since Charlie's kidnapping. They both looked around before taking anymore steps. They glanced at one another and made their way further into the house. They approached the kitchen cautiously. Charlie stood next to the bench – the exact spot where he had been standing when he was first attacked. He then turned to look at the point on the floor where his gun had sat. He walked along the side of the kitchen surface and slowly bent down. He looked at the edge of the bench and remembered the exact point that he had hit his forehead. He then glanced a few feet away. That was the spot where he had been drugged. It was all so clear in his mind. He stood up. Was this going to be with him forever? For as long as he was here, every time he would walk into the kitchen, would he vividly remember that horrible night when he was taken? He tried to push it out of his mind.

Suddenly, he felt a hand on his shoulder. He spun around, ready for anything, when he saw Dani. She had jumped back, holding her hand to her chest.

"I'm sorry…" Charlie began. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…" his head dropped.

"Hey, hey…" Dani approached him. "It's alright. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you." She put her arms around his waist and pulled him into an embrace. Gosh she had wanted to do this for so long. She wanted to be the one to comfort him when he was down, scared, lost… she wanted to be the one who lent her shoulder for him to cry on. For a brief moment, however, when he didn't move, she felt like she ought to pull back. But just as she was about to, she felt his arms move and wrap around her shoulders, holding her close. She felt him gently kiss the top of her head before resting his chin on it. She smiled and relaxed against his torso.

_2 years later_

Charlie sat in the hall of the hospital. His heart was pounding against his chest. If he had to describe it, he would have said it felt like his heart were to leap right out of his chest entirely. He just wanted some news on how she was doing. He didn't dare get up – he knew that the second he did, something would happen. He simply sat in the chair and did not move.

_God please let everything be alright. _Charlie thought to himself. He tapped his sneakers on the floor, twiddled his thumbs, checked his watch every five seconds… he couldn't bare the waiting. Every time he heard movement from anywhere within a ten metre radius of him, his head shot up. Why was it taking so long? Is this what Dani had felt like when he had been in surgery too?

All of a sudden, the doors opened.

Charlie had never stood up so quick in his life.

"Detective Crews."

"Doc?" Charlie's stomach was doing flips. "Is everything ok? Is she alright?"

"Yes, Detective Crews, the operation went well." Charlie looked at the doctor intently. He just wanted to hear those words. "Your wife is absolutely fine. She is awake and smiling." There they were. He felt so relieved to hear them. He then looked back up at him.

"And… what about…" Charlie's heart was back beating to a thousand times a second.

The doctor smiled. "Perfect. Congratulations, you have a beautiful daughter."

Charlie couldn't prevent the grin taking over his face. He had never felt so happy – well other than his and Dani's wedding day, of course. "Can I see them?"

"Of course." The doctor smiled and led him through to where his wife and daughter were. As he entered the room, he saw them.

Dani was sitting on the bed with a tiny bundle in her arms. She looked up at him and smiled that same beautiful smile that made Charlie realise how much he loved her. He walked across to them.

"Hey." He said, softly, as he placed a gentle kiss on her lips. He then looked down at the tiny girl she was holding. She was so small with a few little dark red hairs on the top of her head. She was sleeping soundly in her mothers arms.

"Have you any names in mind?" a female doctor asked.

Dani and Charlie shared a smile before Dani spoke.

"Yes. Layla. Layla Jane Crews." She looked back up at Charlie who smiled back down at her before placing another kiss on her lips.

They were a family. And nothing and no one was going to change that.

_Well, there you have it. I really hope the ending was ok with you guys. I wanted it to be a happy ending. After all the crap I put Charlie and Dani through in my story, I had to at least give them something good to end with. Also, there wasn't really any significance to the name, I personally just think it's a pretty name =_)

_Thanks to you all for following my story! I appreciate the lovely reviews and all constructive comments you have offered._

_I love you all! _

_Xo _


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